The present invention relates to a device for suspending a display sign from the ceiling of a retail establishment for the purpose of advertising goods as sold in the establishment. The invention also contemplates easily removing the sign from its display position; and in both suspending the sign from the ceiling and removing the sign therefrom, the use of a ladder or the like is avoided.
In certain retail establishments, it has been common practice to suspend signs from the ceiling thereof for the purpose of advertising certain products for sale. Prior to the instant invention, the signs as mounted in the ceiling were supplied with an elongated string that was attached to the sign. Joined to the other end of the string was a pin that was formed with an elongated shank and an enlarged head. In order to mount the sign in place in its suspended position from the ceiling, a ladder was utilized, and the person suspending the signs in place, mounted the ladder and manually inserted each pin of a sign in place in the ceiling, the sign hanging freely on the string as joined to the pin.
The ceilings that were normally utilized for suspending signs for display in the manner as described were of the acoustical type and the pins as inserted in the ceilings were retained in frictional engagement in the acoustical tiles. Removing the signs from their suspended position heretofore has also required the mounting of a ladder, whereupon the persons performing the removal operation had to manually reach the pin while mounted on the ladder for extracting the pin from its inserted position in the ceiling tile.
Since the mounting of the sign in place by the insertion of the pin into the acoustical ceiling has required the use of a ladder and manually inserting the pin in place, considerable time and effort was required to perform this operation, particularly since the ladder had to be moved from place-to-place as each sign was suspended from the ceiling in the display position thereof. Obviously such a procedure has been found to be objectionable, even though the prior known manual procedure did effectively mount the sign in place and provide for the removal thereof. As will be described the present invention avoids the problems heretofore experienced in manually suspending a sign from a ceiling or removing the sign therefrom while mounted on a ladder.
Applicant is unaware of any prior patents or references that disclose the concept as embodied in the subject invention and the best prior art known to applicant as of the filing of the subject application is represented by the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: SARGENT et al, 1,702,319; LIPSON, 2,094,459; INGRAHAM, 2,491,860; SPITZ, 2,576,705; GIERN et al, 2,690,617; FREEMAN et al, 3,327,376; and IVERSON, 3,561,718.